


Luminescence

by leleluvclub (starryeyedpjm)



Series: Qian's Charms and Talismans [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Blood and Injury, Gen, but only mildly i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedpjm/pseuds/leleluvclub
Summary: The last thing Johnny expects to see is a boy, covered in dust, standing in the middle of the shop.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Park Jisung, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong & Park Jisung, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: Qian's Charms and Talismans [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751233
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey im back! yea i'm just as surprised as u are, what's up  
> so this is set a couple years after the first fic in this au, if i can figure out how to make them a series lol. we won't be seeing tenkun, jaemin, or jisung, but they will be mentioned! ok anyway if ur reading this, thank you! hope u enjoy ^—^

_Crash_. Johnny looks up from his notebook, scanning the back room of the store. “Hello?” he calls, not sure whether he wants an answer or not. 

It’s about one in the morning, and though the wards surrounding the store are strong, that doesn’t mean he likes having them tested. When no other sounds come, he rolls his eyes and starts taking inventory again. 

_Crash._ “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Johnny says, setting his notebook down on the little table next to him. He rolls his sleeves up, revealing his tattoos, and pushes himself from his chair. Lucky perks her head up from where she’s lounging across the small room, letting out a whine. “Sorry, girl, just give me a sec.”

He pokes his head out the door leading into the main shop, expecting to see Taeyong, or Kun, or _maybe_ Ten—though he was usually fast asleep by this time of night, leaving the rest of the work to be done by Johnny. What he doesn’t expect to see is a boy, covered in dust, standing in the middle of the shop. 

The boy looks to be in his late teens, average height and of slight build. His hair is...probably brown, and shaggy, and his clothes are loose on him and torn almost fully to strips. Johnny recognizes the clan mark behind his ear, and frowns. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The boy jumps out of his skin, whirling around to face Johnny. The dust emphasizes the tear tracks on his face, and what looks to be blood on his hands. He’s trembling, breath coming quickly. He doesn’t look badly hurt on the outside, but something is clearly wrong. “Sorry, I’m sorry, can you—can you help me?” The boy’s voice is soft, pleading. 

Johnny’s heart twinges, but he needs to stand firm. He _knows_ that mark, after all, and can’t afford not to be wary. “Explain what you’re doing here, first,” he demands, stepping forward into the room, fingers of his left hand tracing a sigil on his right arm. He watches the boy’s eyes flick towards it and back up. “You broke into my store. No help until you tell me why, and how.”

The kid holds his hands up in front of him, palms out. “I don’t _know_ ,” he says, sounding more distressed. “One moment I was walking home, and, and next I was falling through a wall.” 

Johnny whips his head towards the front of the store and ah, fuck. The kid wasn’t lying. There’s a giant hole in the concrete, the air around it glittering. He’d somehow smashed through both the wall, and the wards, leaving dust and debris across the entrance. Well, new entrance. Johnny swore under his breath. Taeyong will have a conniption. 

“I just, I don’t know how it happened. I’m really sorry.” The boy seems to curl in on himself, voice getting smaller. “Please. Can you help me—”

“What’s your name?” If they were going to get anywhere, Johnny was going to need more information. 

The boy’s mouth twists. “Donghyuck,” he offers. “Donghyuck Lee. Ignis clan. Though, my parents are traveling, so I’m not...I’m not with anyone right now, I’m alone.” And Johnny can sense that, but it definitely put him at ease to be told so. The less of his people on their territory, the better. “You, who are you?” 

Johnny straightens his posture. “You can call me Johnny. Terra clan. This city’s faction, anyway.” He walks closer to Donghyuck, trying not to startle him again. He isn’t a threat for now, and Johnny’s affinity has always been defensive magic, anyway. He can handle himself if the other tries anything. “Can I see your hands?” 

Donghyuck holds his palms out. He’s still shaking, and Johnny grabs one of his wrists, surveying the damage. He twists and turns Donghyuck’s hand in his hold, following the small cuts and lacerations. Only one of them looks at all deep, and he lets it go from his grasp. 

“I can’t help you,” Johnny says gently, watching Donghyuck’s face fall. “ _But_ , my partner is a healer. He’ll be able to. Do you trust me?” 

Donghyuck nods, eyes bright despite the tears still brimming in them. “I do.”

Johnny gives him another look, letting a second of silence fall between them. He nods then, turning to the front of the store. He places his palm on another sigil on his arm, murmuring an incantation to himself. He watches as the storefront shimmers for a second, and then appears all at once to be back to normal. He activates their secondary wards, and turns back towards Donghyuck, who’s watching him with wide eyes. “A glamour will have to do for now,” he grumbles, beckoning for Donghyuck to follow him. 

He waves a hand over the doorway, watching as the lights in the main part of the store extinguish themselves. Johnny then leads them through the back room, extinguishing more lights as he passes and stopping at the door leading to their apartment. Lucky finally drags herself from the floor, stretching and whining as she goes. 

She sniffs at Donghyuck, seemingly deciding his aura is fine, and butts her head into his leg to say hello. He yelps, flailing a bit before catching himself. Johnny chuckles again. 

“She likes you,” he assures the boy. “She can smell your intentions, so I trust her judgement.” 

Donghyuck looks back up from where he’s petting her head, smiling. “I’ve never met a real hellhound before.” 

Johnny’s heart twinges again. He doesn’t respond, instead leading them up the stairs.

-: ✧ :-

As expected, Taeyong is still awake, stirring something in a pot in their tiny kitchen. He’s muttering something to himself, glancing back and forth between the cutting board of ingredients on the counter and the book he holds in his hands. 

Johnny knocks gently on the side of the doorframe, making sure not to startle him. Taeyong turns around, soft smile on his face. 

“Ah, babe, I was wondering when you’d—oh!” Taeyong drops his book, eyes wide. He gapes at Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck smiles weakly, fidgeting in place. “Hi?” he says, giving a little wave. 

Taeyong’s face sets itself determinedly. “So this is what Jisung meant earlier today.” 

Johnny raises a brow. _What is that supposed to mean?_ he wants to ask, but Taeyong is already rushing forward, ushering Donghyuck into their shared bathroom, fretting over him and asking him questions. 

Between a few muttered incantations that Taeyong must have memorized at some point, they get Donghyuck cleaned, bandaged, and into some clothes Jaemin had left at their place last week. “He clearly isn’t missing them that badly,” Taeyong had said, smiling as he handed them to Donghyuck. 

They’re now sitting around their tiny kitchen table, mismatched mugs of tea in hand as Donghyuck quietly explains how he’d ended up in their store. 

“And then, all of a sudden, my magic—it’s like it exploded? I guess,” he says, sounding sad. “It happens to me a lot, but I don’t know if this is....normal? For someone like me? I, I’ve never met anyone else in our clan, except my parents. And they’re...y’know.” He waves his hands a little vaguely. 

Taeyong nods, reaching out and holding Donghyuck’s arm. “Of course. Magic is…” he hesitates a little, cocking his head to the side. “It’s almost got a mind of its own, you know? And it takes time, and practice to control it, but it also takes community. There aren’t many Ignis clan members left in the city, so it’s understandable you’d have such a hard time holding your own magic together.”

Johnny nods, catching Donghyuck’s eye. “It doesn’t have to be members of your clan, though. The factions and clans have stronger ties, sure, but you can bind and unbind your magic to whoever you want.” He gestures between himself and Taeyong. “Our magic is bound, even though I’m Terra clan and he’s Aqua. Our business partner, Kun, is also Terra, though a different faction. We’re not the same but we’re bound because of our emotional connection. You understand?”

Donghyuck nods slowly, but doesn’t meet either of their eyes again for a few moments. He seems to be contemplating something, fingers twisting around each other. 

Taeyong and Johnny’s eyes meet over the table. The sigil above Johnny’s heart warms for a second, and he smiles. It seems Donghyuck has found a soft spot in more than just Johnny. 

Johnny’s not sure why that makes him feel light. 

“So. Uh.” Donghyuck’s voice startles them out of their thoughts, and they both turn back towards him. “If I...emotionally bond with someone outside of my clan, could they teach me to control my magic? And I would keep that control after I unbond?”

Taeyong twists his lips into a frown, but nods. “Yes...I mean, it’s been done. Used to be more prevalent in magical schools, but there aren’t many left. Teachers here and there, though I haven’t come across any in a long time. Why—”

“So,” Donghyuck interrupts. “If someone taught me…” he seems to be working up his courage for something, and takes in a breath. “If you. If you taught me?” Taeyong inhales sharply, and Donghyuck’s face falls. “I mean, I’m sorry, I know you just met me, I just thought—”

“Of course we will.” Johnny shocks both of them with the statement, apparently, twin looks of confusion on their faces. He meets eyes with Taeyong again, feeling out their tethered thoughts. _We need to,_ he whispers into Taeyong’s mind. _You know we do._

Taeyong twists his lips again, clearly torn. _You’re sure about this?_ he sends back. Johnny nods, holding out his hand for his boyfriend to take. Taeyong does, giving him a small smile. 

Donghyuck watches them, brow furrowed and bottom lip in his mouth. He’s pulling at a sleeve with one hand, sweatshirt a bit too big for him. He looks so young, and Johnny’s heart aches again. Taeyong reaches out to Donghyuck, too, holding his hand in his. 

“Of course we will.” 

A sunny smile breaks out along Donghyuck’s lips. Johnny is reminded again that fire is not simply danger. It’s warmth, and it’s light, and it’s safety. Donghyuck may be Ignis clan, but the only thing he’s starting alight is their hearts. 

Oh, Jesus, when did he get so sappy? That was awful. 

A snort comes from across the table, Taeyong shaking his head fondly at him. Stupid thought connection. 

Johnny grins back at Donghyuck, smile turning sharp. “Oh, by the way, babe. There’s a giant hole in our storefront.” 

Donghyuck lets out a groan, head dropping onto the table. 

“There’s a _what?”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck struggles with many things. Secrets and shadows make the top of the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pov change! and i totally lied abt not meeting any of the others. whoops?

The first time Donghyuck ever meets Jisung Park, he starts a kitchen on fire by accident. 

Okay, that makes it sound worse than it actually is. To be fair, there was already a fire bubbling steadily on the stove, which Donghyuck had started on _purpose_ , thank you very much. (That’s a thing he knows how to do now, among others.) It’s just that, when his emotions are heightened...his powers can be a little hard to control. Still. (Always.)

It goes like this:

Donghyuck is sitting at the kitchen counter in Taeyong and Johnny’s apartment, reading a list of instructions, about two months into their arrangement. 

Said arrangement being, they teach him to control his magic, and he helps them around the store and their home—running errands, taking phone orders, cooking lunch, brewing potions. He’s not sure why he’s been given the last task in the first place, seeing as Taeyong has an affinity for potion brewing, but he hadn’t had it in him to pester the couple about it. 

Much, anyway. 

(He likes to think of himself as having a healthy curiosity, is all. Ten calls it _being annoying_ , but Ten also lounges around the store sleeping like a cat half the day, so really, what does he know?)

Donghyuck hops down from his stool and traipses toward the stove where a medium sized cauldron sits. He’s meant to be brewing a sleep elixir today, for a customer who’s been coming in recently. She keeps trying to find new ways to “deal with her insomnia”, except, of course, doing her college homework at a normal time of day instead of at three in the morning. But hey, that’s none of Donghyuck’s business. She’s a paying customer, after all. 

He has all of his ingredients laid out next to the cauldron, ready to be stirred in one at a time. He takes a deep, steady breath, and _pop!_ A small fire lights beneath the cauldron, and Donghyuck smiles. “Aha!” he cheers to himself. 

It’s been easier to manage his magic lately, now that he’s got three different witches giving him tips and tricks to do so. Living below Kun and Ten’s apartment helps as well, the former’s magic giving him yet another core to bind his own to. It also doesn’t hurt that Kun likes him, sometimes saving for him the fun parts of their merchandise, like energy potions and mood elixirs. 

He still won’t tell Donghyuck what’s being kept in the vault in the store’s back room, but Donghyuck figures it’s only a matter of time before he cracks. 

Donghyuck stirs in each ingredient exactly how Taeyong had taught him—and conveniently written down for him in a notebook, lest he forget—and starts to hum, finally finding the routine of potion-making relaxing rather than stressful, as he had when they’d started. Who knew rosemary was so flammable, right?

About fifteen minutes in, the hair on the back of his neck starts to stand up. He straightens his back, becoming alert, and raises his hands, turning around. 

There’s a figure he doesn’t recognize at the doorway of the kitchen, giving him such a fright that—oh, shit, yep, that’s a curtain. On fire. Oh god, and the hand towels with it, now, too. “ _Fuck!_ ” Donghyuck exclaims, panicking. He starts waving his arms, blowing on the fire—stupidly forgetting his own affinity for it as the flames climb higher on the wall. He turns to the stranger, who apparently is _not_ here to kill him, and waves his arms again. “Help, please!”

The stranger, a tall, lanky boy with dark orange hair and eyes like the moon—really not the time, Donghyuck—rushes forward, looking far more calm than he should. He flicks a wrist, muttering something under his breath, and the flames that have spread, god, _everywhere_ , are suddenly extinguished. The walls are left smoky, but don’t look permanently damaged. What the hell?

Donghyuck turns towards the boy in front of him, eyeing him suspiciously. 

His arms and neck are covered in tattoos, sigils and symbols of all kinds, almost rivaling the amount that Johnny carries. He tilts his head to the side to survey the damage and—

“Holy shit.” 

The boy startles, wide eyes trained back on Donghyuck. “Sorry?” he asks, brows furrowed. 

Donghyuck has to stop himself from tracing the clan mark behind the boy’s ear. “You’re Ferrum clan, I’ve never…” he clears his throat, leaning away from the other. “Sorry, uh. You must be Jisung.”

He’s heard of Jisung, and Jaemin, in passing before. It’s clear that Kun and Ten both have a soft spot for the two of them, though the latter likes to pretend otherwise. (He isn’t very convincing.) All he knows is that Jaemin is fae, estranged somehow from his herd and family, and Jisung… _Jisung_ , he knows, is one of the most powerful witches that Kun knows. According to Taeyong, he has three (!!!) different affinities and is part of one of the most ancient clans, dating back far further than his own. It’s almost terrifying to be standing in front of him now. 

Or it would be, if he didn’t look like a regular seventeen-ish year old boy: clad in a t-shirt, hair messy, mouth gaping open like a fish. He looks dumb. Donghyuck thinks he might be in love. (Okay, again, _really_ not the time.)

“How do you know my name?” Oh. 

“You don’t know who I am?” Donghyuck asks, almost afraid of the answer. How _embarrassing_ , Taeyong and Johnny probably hadn’t even thought to mention him to this kid. “Sorry, I mean. I’m Donghyuck. Ignis clan, sort of.” He cringed. “Jeju faction.” 

Jisung’s brows shoot up. “Oh, it’s you! I knew someone was staying with Taeyong, I just, I didn’t know what you looked like. My visions never give me a face.” His cheeks flush almost violently, mouth twisting up. “Wait, uh. Okay that sounds worse than I meant it, I mean—“

Now _that_ was interesting. 

“You have visions of me?” Donghyuck says, teasing grin on. He leans his body against the counter, crossing his arms against his chest. “Oh do tell me more, sir.”

Amazingly, Jisung blushes harder, shaking his head. “Only a couple of times, I swear, and they’re not weird, I _swear_ , I just. I hear you and Johnny talking sometimes. Your voice...is nice.” He looks like he’d rather be anywhere but in front of Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck laughs, more at ease than he’d been initially. He makes his way back over to the cauldron, peering inside. His potion seems to have survived the inferno, though he thinks that’s probably Jisung’s doing instead of pure luck. He concentrates again, another tiny _pop!_ sounding as he restarts a small flame underneath it. 

A small hum sounds from over his shoulder, and Donghyuck glances back to find Jisung watching him. He smiles at his expression. “What, never seen a witch start a fire before?” 

Jisung huffs out a laugh, exposing a bright, gummy smile. He looks younger like that, Donghyuck thinks absently. 

“Of course I have. Just haven’t met someone with a fire affinity in a while, especially not as volatile as yours seems to be.” 

Donghyuck furrows his brows, stomach twisting. “Yea, I’m told there aren’t many around here. Got any idea why?” He’s been too afraid to ask the others, not sure he’ll like the answer. 

He feels justified in that, watching Jisung’s face darken, the boy scowling and turning away. A chill finds its way down Donghyuck’s spine, and he decides immediately that he does not like this newfound side of Jisung. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up again. 

“They were driven out after the damage they caused. It was necessary.” Jisung grits out, not meeting Donghyuck’s eyes. It’s like his entire aura has changed, dark where it was bright. Donghyuck shivers. He’s never liked shadows much. 

Still, Donghyuck waits for a few more beats, before he realizes that the other isn’t going to continue. He doesn’t press, sensing the other doesn’t want to get into it. He watches him, cogs turning in his brain. 

The door to the stairs bangs open suddenly, startling them both. “Ah, Jisung! I didn’t think you’d be coming back so soon!” Taeyong cries, face lit up with a smile. He holds the arm not carrying a basket full of herbs out for Jisung to fold himself into. 

It’s almost unnerving watching Jisung’s expression transform back into something warm, almost childlike. Jisung bounds over to Taeyong, engulfing him in a hug that almost looks painful. It’s clear the two have a good relationship if the sheer fondness in Taeyong’s eyes is anything to go by. Donghyuck’s head is swirling with questions he knows won’t be answered, not here anyway. 

He straightens his back, and makes up his mind. 

“Ahh, Yongie…” Donghyuck calls, his most charming smile plastered on his face. “Do you mind if I head up to see Kun for a bit? The sleep elixir is just about finished.” He makes sure to add a few extra sparkles to his eyes, as Ten calls them. (Usually out of disbelief. Shadows and Donghyuck don’t mix well, and the opposite is true for Ten.)

Taeyong rolls his eyes, having let go of Jisung and made his way over to the table. He drops his basket down onto it with a huff, beginning to empty its contents one by one. “You have about three potions more to make tonight, don’t you? I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Hyuckie.” 

Donghyuck’s face falls, anxiety creeping into the back of his mind. His brain has an itch to scratch, so to speak, gaps of information he suddenly feels desperate to fill. 

He’s about to protest when Jisung beats him to it. 

“I’m not going anywhere tonight, Taeyong. I could take care of it,” he says, glancing back at Donghyuck. “That is, if Donghyuck trusts me enough to get it right.” He gives him a small smile. 

Donghyuck resists the urge to narrow his eyes. After his earlier display...well, he trusts him to get the ingredients right. He can’t say he trusts much more about the boy. Too much mystery surrounds Jisung for his liking, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it. 

Y’know. Healthy curiosity, and all. 

(There’s a voice in the back of his head that sounds suspiciously like Kun, telling him he’s being too harsh on someone he’s just met. But he reasons that if the voice sounds like Kun, it probably follows Kun’s logic as well, and that includes his fondness for Jisung. Great, even his own brain can’t be trusted at this point.)

He plasters on another smile, and hopes that neither of them notice the way it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Of course!” Donghyuck calls, already making his way to the staircase on the other side of the apartment. “Be back later, thanks Yongie, thanks Jisung!” 

It’s time Donghyuck starts getting his answers.

**Author's Note:**

> that's all for this fic i'm pretty sure, i'll be moving onto another set of characters soon hopefully! again, thank u for reading if you do! <3


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